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habit1
/hab"it/, n.1. an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.2. customary practice or use: Daily bathing is an American habit.3. a particular practice, custom, or usage: the habit of shaking hands.4. a dominant or regular disposition or tendency; prevailing character or quality: She has a habit of looking at the bright side of things.5. addiction, esp. to narcotics (often prec. by the).6. mental character or disposition: a habit of mind.7. characteristic bodily or physical condition.8. the characteristic form, aspect, mode of growth, etc., of an organism: a twining habit.9. the characteristic crystalline form of a mineral.10. garb of a particular rank, profession, religious order, etc.: a monk's habit.11. the attire worn by a rider of a saddle horse.v.t.12. to clothe; array.[1175-1225; ME < L habitus state, style, practice, equiv. to habi- (var. s. of habere to have) + -tus verbal n. suffix; r. ME abit < OF]habit2/hab"it/, v.t.1. Archaic. to dwell in.v.i.2. Obs. to dwell.[1325-75; ME habiten < L habitare to inhabit; see HABITAT]
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In psychology, any regularly repeated behaviour that requires little or no thought and is learned rather than innate.Some habits (e.g., tying a shoelace) may conserve higher mental processes for more demanding tasks, but others promote behavioral inflexibility or are unhealthy. Five methods are commonly used to break unwanted habits: replacing the old response with a new one, repeating the behaviour until it becomes unpleasant, separating the individual from the stimulus that prompts the response, habituation, and punishment.* * *
in psychology, any regularly repeated behaviour that requires little or no thought and is learned rather than innate. A habit—which can be part of any activity, ranging from eating and sleeping to thinking and reacting—is developed through reinforcement and repetition. Reinforcement encourages the repetition of a behaviour, or response, each time the stimulus that provoked the behaviour recurs. The behaviour becomes more automatic with each repetition. Some habits, however, may form on the basis of a single experience, particularly when emotions are involved. Habits, as discussed by William James in his Principles of Psychology, are useful as the means for conserving higher mental processes for more demanding tasks, but they promote behavioral inflexibility.Five methods are commonly used to break unwanted habits: the replacement of the old response with a new response—e.g., eating fruit instead of candy to satisfy a craving for sweetness; the repetition of the behaviour until fatigue or another unpleasant response takes over—e.g., being forced to smoke cigarettes until nauseated so that a repulsion for cigarettes replaces the desire to smoke; the change of environment to separate the individual from the stimulus that is prompting the response; the gradual introduction of the stimulus that is provoking the behaviour—e.g., overcoming a child's fear of adult dogs by giving him a puppy; and punishment, which is probably the least effective method.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
